


Growing Pains

by ununpentium



Series: Hamish Watson-Holmes [4]
Category: Sherlock (TV)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-11-02
Updated: 2011-11-02
Packaged: 2017-10-25 15:23:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,607
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/271824
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ununpentium/pseuds/ununpentium
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sherlock tells Hamish something he did not want to hear.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Growing Pains

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Hamish](https://archiveofourown.org/works/329656) by [Valeria2067](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Valeria2067/pseuds/Valeria2067). 



> The Hamish Watson-Holmes series is a series of vignettes inspired by Valeria2067's Hamish. They are written as my muse inspires me, and may or may not eventually follow a bigger story arc.

John could hear the arguing from outside of 221b. He steeled himself for another one of Sherlock and Mycroft’s stand offs (as the years had passed, Sherlock had decided that the more effective method to get Mycroft to leave was to shout rather than torture his violin) and unlocked the front door. As he ascended the stairs he thought that it didn’t particularly sound like Mycroft, in fact, it sounded more like Hal.

“-got to stop doing this-”

“-worrying about you-”

John heard snatches of the argument as he entered 221b and what he saw took his breath away. Sherlock and Hamish were standing in the middle of the living room, both standing as tall as they could make themselves and wearing nearly identical expressions, shouting over one another but both seeming to hear what the other was saying. Two pairs of silver eyes turned towards him as he cleared his throat.

“Want to shout any louder? I don’t think the people at the end of the street quite heard you.”

Sherlock sneered and Hamish balled his hands into fists and turned back towards Sherlock. John blinked a few times, it could be quite unnerving exactly how much Hamish looked like Sherlock; John wondered if this was what Sherlock was like when he was 20.

“Stop it, Father. Stay out of things- this is NONE of your business!”

Sherlock dragged his hands through his mostly grey hair, making it stick up at odd angles.

“Hamish, I am looking out for you. Are you telling me you wouldn’t have wanted to know what was going on until it was too late? I saved you years of misery!”

“But this is my life, I get to make mistakes and I get to make my own decisions. I don’t want you meddling at every opportunity you get. God, you’re worse than _Mycroft_.” Hamish spat out the last word, turned on his heels and stalked up the stairs to his bedroom.

“Well. Want to explain, Sherlock?” John was still standing in the doorway with his arms folded across his chest and a no nonsense expression on his face. Sherlock visibly sagged and sank down onto the sofa, placing his head into his hands. John walked over to Sherlock and sat beside him, one arm lying gently across his husband’s shoulders.

“Hamish is under the impression that I am meddling in his life. That I am an unwanted presence,” Sherlock spoke into his hands.

“And why does he think that?”

“Because I told him that Lucy was cheating on him with James and had been since the engagement party.”

John breathed in sharply.

“Lucy was cheating on Hal?” Sherlock just nodded. “They only got engaged two months ago. Oh God, Hal must be heartbroken. I’ve got to talk to him.” John jumped up and started to climb the stairs when Sherlock lightly touched his hand. John paused and turned back towards Sherlock who looked utterly dejected.

“He blames me, John. I was the one to tell him and he said that he was happy until I ruined it.” Sherlock closed his eyes. “I didn’t want to hurt him. I just wanted him to know the truth before they got married and she broke his heart. I loved him too much to keep it to myself.”

John leant towards Sherlock and kissed him lightly before drawing back and resting his forehead against Sherlock’s.

“You did what you thought was the right thing, and you did it for the right reasons. Hal is not really mad at you, he’s angry with Lucy but because you were the one to tell him, you’ve had the full brunt of it. Look, I’m going to see how he is, okay? He’ll be calm soon and then we can talk about this together.” John kissed Sherlock again before turning back to climb the rest of the stairs.

John knocked on Hamish’s door. Hal opened it a few seconds later, his eyes red and puffy.

“Can I come in?” Hamish opened his door wider by way of response. John stepped over the threshold and looked around his old bedroom. Hamish had not spent much time at Baker Street in the past few years- he was in his third year at university and was living in Warwick with his fiancée Lucy. Or, more likely now, ex fiancée. Hamish had made his bed almost to the degree of army precision that John used to make his, the walls were covered in various posters and photographs and there was a framed photograph of Sherlock and John in prominent position on the mantelpiece. It had been taken when Sherlock and John had renewed their vows last year; Lestrade had taken the photograph stealthily as Sherlock leant over to John to whisper in his ear after the ceremony. John had half turned toward Sherlock, his eyes shining and he was laughing. Sherlock was grinning and had one of his hands pressed to John’s cheek. Not many photos existed of Sherlock looking so unguarded and this one was by far John’s favourite.

“I’m so sorry about Lucy, Hal.” Hamish walked over to John and buried his face in John’s neck.

“I love her, Dad.” John rubbed circles against his son’s back. “I was so happy and Father couldn’t help but stick his nose in and now it’s all over.” Hamish’s voice cracked.

“What did Sherlock do? You know he loves you and was trying to look out for you.”

“What _didn’t_ he do more like. God, I don’t know, he took it upon himself to play private detective as usual, followed Lucy around a bit after something made him suspicious until he was sure that she was cheating on me and had been for some time.”

John sighed.

“I know that he should have talked to you before doing anything, but Sherlock doesn’t think like that. You know he just jumps feet first into situations, but what I know more than anything is that he did this out of love for you.” Hamish and John sat side by side on Hamish’s bed.

“I know,” Hamish said quietly, “I shouldn’t have shouted at him. Part of me thought that as long as I didn’t know about it, I would be happy.”

“This is eating him up, too. It would have killed him to tell you, but I know he did it for the right reasons, Hal. Don’t be mad at him.” Hamish looked at John and smiled weakly.

“Looks like I’ll be sticking around here a bit more, Dad.”

“Oh no, how terrible!” John joked, bumping his shoulder against Hamish’s. “You need some more time alone? I’m going to see how your Father is.”

“I’ll be down in a bit, Dad.” John stood up and planted a kiss to the top of Hamish’s head and made his way back downstairs to where Sherlock was lying curled up on the sofa.

“Is he never going to speak to me again?”

“He knows that you did this because it was your way of looking out for him. It’s still a bit raw, but he’ll come around. He’s going to be staying here for a bit.” John slid onto the sofa next to Sherlock and nudged him upright.

“Perhaps you should talk to me before going out by yourself and trailing your son’s fiancée?” Sherlock grimaced. John drew him in for a hug.

“When did he get so grown up, John? Only yesterday we brought him home from the hospital and sat staring at him in his baby carrier wondering what we’d got ourselves in to. Now he doesn’t need us anymore.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t say that.” John and Sherlock broke apart and turned to see Hamish standing behind the sofa.

“I need my dads. I always will, even when I’ve got kids of my own. They’ll have the best time with Granddad Sherlock and Granddad John!”

John groaned. “Oh God, he’ll corrupt your children Hal. We’re lucky you turned out so normal.” Sherlock threw the union jack cushion at John’s head. Hamish started giggling.

“You know, you laugh in exactly the same way as your Dad. It’s a bit creepy,” Sherlock grinned.

“And Hal looks like a carbon copy of you! Sometimes when I’m half asleep I think you’ve finally gone and cloned yourself and I have to stop myself from phoning Mycroft.” Sherlock surged forward and tackled John, both of them laughing as they fell from the sofa to the floor.

“I do not need to see my parents getting like _that_ , thanks.” Sherlock simply waved his hand in the air before resuming his tickle attack on John. Hamish smiled to himself, walked into the kitchen and searched around as quietly as he could for a jug. He filled it with cold water from the tap, tiptoed back into the lounge and chucked the water over Sherlock and John.

“This is war!” Sherlock exclaimed. John groaned.

“Look what you’ve started, Hal. You’ll get into bed tonight and find the skull staring at you.”

Hamish simply winked and said “I’ve been planning for such an event for a while now. You’ll see what I’ve got in store for Father.” Sherlock’s eyes lit up.

“Great. Now you’re encouraging Sherlock to behave like a demented child,” John mumbled, trying to keep the smile off of his face.

He knew that underneath his smile, Hamish was hurting a lot. But in time, with a lot of love and Sherlock’s twisted idea of fun, he’d get there.

“John! Get the condoms. They make excellent water bombs.” John and Hamish looked at each other with matching expressions of horror and burst out laughing.

**Author's Note:**

> So I just realised that after being married for more than 20 years, Sherlock and John wouldn't use condoms any more seeing as they would be exclusive to each other and frequently get tested. But suspend your disbelief because I had to put that line in! Or maybe Sherlock likes experimenting with condoms. Who knows.


End file.
